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Beautifully Decorated Bedrooms From Showhouses All Over America

Daring colors, luxurious fabrics, and pretty patterns

Slide 1 Of Beautifully Decorated Bedrooms FromShowhouses All Over America

Showhouses are meant to inspire us. Daring colors, luxurious fabrics, and pretty patterns are just some of the ways designers create enviable living spaces. See some of our favorite designers’ tips on how to fit any bedroom to your own unique style.

Exotic & Colorful Bedroom
Friends’ adoption of an Ethiopian baby inspired designer Wayne Nathan’s concept for the Hampton’s Designer Showhouse bedroom he created with Carol Egan. His design includes an African mud chandelier and African textiles from Melet Mercantile Montauk. The vibrant palette also alludes to an ethnic heritage while multinational pieces evoke a global spirit. The Japanese bed "gives the room an organic, rustic, but elegant look," says Nathan. To encourage viewers to "look at something in a new way," he covered art above the bed in blue Lucite.

Ruffles, swags, and heavy drapery are expertly commandeered by designer Cristina Keogh in this bedroom in the American Red Cross Showhouse. “This was a big room that needed large-scale elements to make it feel finished,” Cristina says. “In bedrooms, I tend to use fabric in a lavish way, because you want to feel cocooned.” An airy, floral-patterned cotton-linen blend graces the head- and footboard as well as the drapery above. A pair of closets on either side of the bed feature French doors backed with checked fabric panels.

Designer Polly Anne Reiter used classic prints and unexpected color combinations to bring sophistication to this little boys’ room, which can be easily converted later to a guest room for older visitors. Reiter chose a baby-blue wall paint, but counterbalanced it with masculine brown drapery panels in a houndstooth pattern. At the foot of the tailored beds, benches covered in polka dots animate the room. “Polka dots are versatile, classic, and fun,” Reiter says. “You could use the benches for extra seating anywhere.”

Yellows and greens capture the sunlight pouring in through the windows of this little girl’s room designed by Matt Lorenz. A rug resembling flowers in a sea of grass anchors the space; freestanding white iron branches at each corner gather the fabric of the cascading green canopy; and playful poodle artwork on the walls counterbalance the drama of the floating bed.

Stephen Mooney designed this master bedroom for the American Red Cross Designer’s Showhouse in West Palm Beach, Florida. It features a tailored headboard upholstered in a pale green fabric by Cowton & Tout. The bed is flanked by mahogany tables. At the foot of the bed, a bench covered in a trellis-patterned green velvet by Sclamandre adds a formal element.

“I like variety,” says designer Stephen Mooney. “When everything is similar in type, you get that one-stop shopping look.”

Mooney had generous proportions to use in creating not only a sleeping area in the master bedroom but a sitting area as well. A tropical pattern from Lee Jofa covers an armchair and provides a sense of movement among the solid-colored furniture. Lucite coffee tables by Michael Taylor are chic.

Janet Allen and Lee Barlow designed this serene setting for the Pilgrim Hall Museum Designer Showhouse in Marshfield, Massachusetts. To play up the home’s historic significance while hiding its flaws (like uneven walls and ceilings), the designers chose a classic misty-blue French floral wallpaper to envelop the room. An antique four-poster bed, yellow-checked comforter, and refined French furniture add to the room’s vintage glory.

With an 18th-century canopy bed as its centerpiece, this bedroom exudes modern luxury. Designer Gail Plechaty enhanced the symmetry of the space by creating a sitting area, continuing the monochromatic off-white scheme for a look of natural comfort. A 19th-century Florentine rococo table gilded in 24-carat gold and topped with Carrara marble adds to the luxurious air.

Soft gray walls, draperies, and a chaise longue set a restful mood in this master bedroom. A white duvet and monogrammed pillow shams are classically simple, while an antique rug in warm pumpkin and turquoise hues adds a rich dose of color.

“The rug just glows,” designer Barbara Westbrook says. “I think there is a serenity to the space, and part of that comes from using neutrals. You feel enveloped in this really pretty warm gray color, and the pop comes in the area rug with its palette of oranges and touches of turquoise.”

Arkansas-based designer Tobi Fairley was commissioned to design an earth-friendly bedroom with style and personality. She enlivened the master bedroom with a tangerine-and-turquoise color combo, using a mix of new and recycled furnishings, organic fabrics, and low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints. The headboard is upholstered in an organic cotton fabric. The Pottery Barn bedskirt and Rubie Green floral pillow shams are also organic cotton. The vintage desk and chair are refreshed with low-VOC Sherwin-Williams Harmony paint in "Lark Green" on the desk and "Reclining Green" on the chair.

Jadeite plates from the 1930s found at an antiques store enhance a new mirror. Walls are "Navajo White," one of the Sherwin-Williams Harmony low-VOC paints. The curio cabinet is from Stanley Furniture, one of the founders of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, which promotes environmentally responsible practices. Organic cotton floral fabric from Rubie Green in a serene aqua accents the silhouette of a vintage sofa.

Click here to see more of this eco-friendly bedroom from Tobi Fairley[34].

This master bedroom showcases Asian and geometric motifs in a brown-and-cream fretwork fabric on the windows. Walnut furnishings, embroidered bed linens, and ivory-colored walls repeat the color theme and keep the mood relaxed. “This room is very bright. It almost feels like you’re in a tree house,” designer Robert Brown says.

To create a focal point, he arranged six Chinese etchings in oversized mats and dark brown frames above the sleigh bed. A sea-grass rug underfoot adds texture. “I didn’t want the room to be overly formal,” he says.

Designer Kelley Proxmire used 150 yards of luxurious fabric and trim to create a space for the D.C. Design House that is “warm, welcoming, and enveloping.” The bedroom’s centerpiece is the upholstered headboard tucked into billowing canopy treatment. The playful robin’s-egg-and-ivory pattern ties the pillows, linens, and bedskirt together.

Calming neutrals are spiked with yellow accents in this bedroom designed by mother-daughter duo Cheryl Womack and Alison Womack-Jowers. The warm citron is used conservatively so it does not overpower the quiet beige and oatmeal palette. “There has to be some color in a room,” says Cheryl. “It’s all about balance and distribution.” Drapery from Lee Jofa partner with a tufted headboard to provide texture.

A graceful seating area is arranged in front of a window framed by linen panels with beaded trim. A chenille-covered chaise longue topped with a Greek key-patterned pillow is served by two tables: an airy acrylic tiered piece and a weightier mahogany side table illuminated by a Murano lamp from the 1950s in the room’s signature yellow accent hue.

A haven of restful grays and pretty pinks, an earth-friendly bedroom by Lizzie Bailey is outfitted with a fresh melding of antiques and modern pieces. Lizzie started her search at ABC Home, which specializes in sustainable and fair-trade products. There she found organic fabrics colored with nontoxic dyes, furniture made with sustainable and reclaimed wood and natural upholstery options, tables made from recycled metal—everything she needed to make an eco bed, including the mattress.

When designer and HGTV host Monica Pedersen designed a guest room for the 2011 Lake Forest Showcase House in Illinois, she focused on comfort. She incorporated layers of wool damask and silk fabrics, placing a soft sisal rug underfoot. A super-plush comforter and an abundance of pillows make for an elegant and peaceful space.

At the Hamptons Designer Showhouse, a tufted custom bed that recalls the style of an old English Knole sofa delivers Benjamin Bradley and David Thiergartner’s guest room safely from the doldrums that threaten boxy spaces. Covered in Ralph Lauren Home ticking, Yves Delorme linens, and an orange Hermès blanket, the bed was designed for "you to feel very cosseted and safe when lying there," explains Bradley. The room's momentum builds with the shaggy rope chair from Holly Hunt, a globe collection, and, displayed on the easel, art by Michael Allen Lowe. In lieu of architecture, the tailored traditionalists glazed the walls and rimmed the perimeters (even along baseboards) in a darker 1-inch band.

Designer Kate Singer combined luxurious fabrics, glamorous details, and an inspired palette to create an elegant and romantic guest room for the Hamptons Designer Showhouse. Pale gray, lilac, and chartreuse--the colors in one of her favorite Vera Wang blouses--determined the palette. "I'm always inspired by fashion," Singer affirms. Silk taffeta from Lee Jofa at the windows, along with additional chartreuse accents such as the Silk Trading Company's lampshades, keep the softer lilacs and grays on their toes and timely. Singer's custom Lucite bench and mirrored chests from George Smith ensure the right "touch of city sophistication and Hollywood glamour amidst this beautiful country landscape of the Hamptons," says Singer.

A whimsical apple green-and-pink girls’ bedroom has a youthful spirit but retains enough sophistication to double as a guest room. “The vibrant colors are for a young girl, but with a quick change of accessories, the room is really ageless, more of a fantasy look straight from a dollhouse,” says designer Victoria Neale, who created the space for the D.C. Design Center Showhouse.

With a soft palette of clear blue, taupe, and sand, this guest bedroom becomes a serene cocoon. “Our goal was to achieve an elegant mix of interesting textures, materials, and surface that would warm the room without fighting the overall effect,” says designer Carmina Renedo, who worked with Robert Wrubel to create this room for the Pilgrim Hall Museum Showhouse. “We loved the tone that the stylish blue set. It really updated things.”

Given the small dimensions of the space, the designers focused on spare, simple lines. The large-scale diamond pattern on the floor broadens the space, while the bed is framed for romantic effect by full-length blue taffeta curtains. The room’s nook-and-cranny architecture heightens its coziness.

Delicate lines and playful chinoiserie balance vivid tangerine walls in this bedroom. “This mansion is in the middle of the soaring trees of Old Westbury Gardens,” Sara says of the Orchard Hill Showhouse in New York. “The birds chirping outside made me want to use them as part of the décor, turning the room into a reflection of its surroundings.” Instead of using the expected blue backdrop for her hand-painted bird mural, Sara landed on a blazing orange to re-create the sky at sunset. On a bed topped with embroidered linens, an orange Hermes throw nods to the iconic shade that saturates the luxury brand’s boxes and blends with the intense color of the walls.

Designed by Kate McIntyre and Brad Huntzinger for the San Francisco Decorator Showhouse, this girl’s room is far beyond primary colors and tiny tea sets. Embracing the entire room on all four walls is a fanciful mural depicting birds and deer painted in lavender, silver, and ivory. The organic forms of the wall decoration imbue the room with life and movement.

Furnishings and accessories with silver accents—a bedside table with a white onyx top, a mirror above the writing desk, a desk chair with silver legs, and an armoire with metal doors—all lend layers of extravagance. To balance the shiny accents, opaque white onyx pieces, like the bedside lamps, heighten the room’s understated luxury.

The challenge for Susan Fredman and her team was to design an entire home completely free of the nasty airborne toxins that usually pervade new construction. “It was kind of a jolt when I realized that many of the new-house and new-car smells we think of as good are actually toxic,” says Susan. The design team worked with manufacturers, upholsterers, and artisans to choose rugs, textiles, and furniture made from natural fibers and treated with vegetable and other plant-based dyes rather than heavy-metal solutions.

In this room, the bed is graced with 100% organic cotton sheets with plant-based dyes from Indika Organics.

A blue-and-gray color scheme makes for both a restful and rejuvenating bedroom. Designer Laura Glen wanted to make sure the room had a peaceful but not sleepy look for her space in the Junior League of Boston Showhouse. “If you live in a northern climate, it’s important to bounce light around,” she says. “The colors I chose for this space are invigorating but soft enough not to be overstimulating.”

Designer Kendall Wilkinson created this stylish space for the San Francisco Showhouse. An unexpected Lucite headboard fades into a striking and graceful mural of a white tree with sparrows by decorative painter Shirley Robinson. The bed, topped with pristine white linens, is accented with a black-and-white geometric motif on throw pillows and a band at the edge of the bed skirt’s pleats. A pair of benches in a chocolate brown-and-cream zebra print provide more graphic interest. Kendall cranks up the color confidence with glossy turquoise walls and bright orange accents. “The vibrancy of tangerine and teal refreshes the senses,” says Kendall.

Shades from Hunter Douglas keep this bedroom serene. Below is a Henredon chaise dressed in crisp white fabric, matching a rug from Tamarian. "The bedroom has a real quietness about it," says Oceans 3 Showhouse designer Philip Gorrivan. One reason is the layered window treatments: Thanks to shades and opaque panels, "you can black out the room and sleep all day. It's a luxury you want from a weekend place—one room that becomes its own little cocoon."